Method and apparatus for making reinforced tape



1941- G. E. HOUGHTON 2,228,910

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING REINFORCED TAPE Filed Oct. 30, 1937 2, Sheets-Sheet 1 BY 41% K/ZQAL A TTORNEY Jan. 14, 11941. e. E. HOUGHTON 2,228,910

METHOD AND APPARATU$ FOR MAKING REINFORCED TAPE Filed Oct. 30, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. 550/962 1-. #006 470 A TTORNEY.

atented Jan. 14, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING REINFORCED TAPE Application October 30, 1937, Serial No. 171,829

7 Claims. (Cl. 15429) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for making reinforced tape. More particularly, it relates to a method of making a reinforced tape in which the outer covering is formed 5 of material comprising asbestos fibres and the inner reinforcing material is formed of paper or other suitable strengthening materials, and to a machine for simultaneously folding the outer covering and inserting theinner reinforcing material between the folds of the outer covering.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for making a reinforced tape which is compact and sufilciently strong to be handled during manufacture and shipment as well as while being used in intended manner without becoming damaged.

Other objects and advantages, if not specifically pointed out, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of what is now considered the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a folding device formed in accordance with the present invention;

25, Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the device illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 in Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

30 Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane indicated by line 44 of Fig. 3, and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a reinforced tape made in accordance with the present invention. i

Referring now to the drawings, the folding de vice comprises a pair of suitable supports In, each of which has connected thereto at its upper end a bifurcated member l2 which forms a side of a 40 frame of a pressing or creasing device, which in 'the form described takes the form of a set of rolls l4 and Hi. The lower roll I4 is carried by a shaft I8 which is journaled directly at its ends in the plate l2. The upper roll I6 is carried by a shaft 45 20 which isjournaled at each end in a block 22,

each of which is slidable in known manner between the furcations 24 of a plate [2. A cross piece 26 extends across the top of and is suitably connected to the fur-cations 24 of each plate I:

and has a feed screw 28 threaded therethrough.

Each feed screw is provided with a hand wheel 30 at its upper end and bears upon a follower plate 32 at its lower end. Interposed between each follower plate 32 and its respective block 22 is a compression spring 34. It will be seen that the degree of pressure exerted between the rolls l4 and It can be accurately controlled by rotating the hand wheel 30 at each end of the rolls to compress the springs 34 to the amount dem sired.

A side plate 36 is suitably connected to oneof the plates l2 at one endand is suitably connected to a support 31 at the opposite end (see Figs. 2 and 4) A second side plate 38 is suitably connected at one end to the other of the plates l'2, but does not extened downwardly as far as the plate 36, as shown in Fig. 3.

A supporting and dividing plate 40 has a flange 4| bent downwardly or otherwise formed along one side and is connected to the side plate 36 by means of bolts or screws passed through the flange 41 and the side plate 36. (See Fig. 4.) The supporting and guiding plate 40 is turned down at one end as shown at 42 in Fig. 2 for a purpose later to be described. It will be noted that there is sufficient clearance between the bottom of plate 38 and the top of plate 40 to provide for the passage of web material 68, as shown in Fig. 4. r A shaft 44 is journaled in the plates 36 and 38 and carries a roller 46 for rotation therewith between the plates 36 and 3B. The shaft 44 is driven by means of a pulley 48 which is suitably driven by a belt or chain 49 from any well-known type of prime mover. The shaft 44 is provided at its opposite end with a gear 50 which meshes with a gear 52 carried by the shaft l8 of the lower presser roll I4. Thus the roller 45 and roll l4 are driven together, and the diameters of the roller and roll and the gears 50 and 52 are selected so that the roller 46 and roll I4 will have substantially the same peripheral speeds.

A shaft 54 is journaled at its ends in blocks 55 which are slidably mounted in known manner in 5 slots 58 formed in the plates 36 and 38. A roller 60 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 54 and an endless belt 62 is carried by the rollers 46 and 60. Lugs 64, which are turned out from the sides of plates and 38 during the formation of the slots 58, are threaded to receive setscrews 65 which bear against the blocks 56 and thus provide means for adjusting the tension on belt 62.

A plow member 10 is suitably connected, as by means of screws II, to the side of plate 38 and extends downwardly and under the plate 40 as shown at 12.

The web material 58 is fed from any suitable conveyer 14 onto a guide chute 16L The guide chute 16 may take many different forms and serves merely to direct the web material 58 onto the supporting and dividing plate 40. In the present instance it is shown as being supported by the side plate 36,through the intermediary of suitable connectors 18.

Rolls of reinforcing material are rotatably mounted on a stud 82 carried by the support 31. Strips of reinforcing material 84, which may be paper, cloth, etc., pass from the supply rolls and over a guide 85 and under a guide 81 and then m onto the plate 40 at the turned down portion 42.

-The guides 86 and 81 have reduced portions 88 Operation of the device As the web material 68 passes from the guide chute I6 onto the guiding and supporting plate 40, it is contacted by the belt 62 and held in contact with the plate 40 while it is moved therealong by the belt. The strips of reinforcing material 84 are simultaneously passed onto the plate 40 and between the plate and the web material 68. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the web material 88 is approximately twice as wide as the guiding and supporting plate 40, thus causing approximately half of the web material to extend over the,plate 40 as shown at I02. As the web material 68 is advanced by the belt 62 the extending or overhanging portion I02 comes into contact with the plow I0 and is folded down and under the dividing and supporting plate 40. Thus a lower fold I04 and an upper fold I06 are formed and the folds are pressed together and creased along the fold as the tape passes between rolls I4 and I6. During the pressing and creasing operation the strips of reinforcing paper 84 are grasped by the folds I04 and I06 of the web material and secured in place, thus forming a reinforced tape comprising upper and lower folds and interior reinforcing strips.

By the use of the folding device just disclosed, a web material which is relatively delicate and hard to handle, such as material formed solely of loosely felted asbestos fibres or of a mixture of asbestos and other fibres, can be associated with stronger reinforcing material, such as strips of 0 paper 84, and a relatively strong and compact reinforced tape thus formed.

The foregoing details have been given for the purpose of explanation and not limitation since many changes and modifications may be made in the actual structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the Invention.

The invention having been described, what I claim is:

1. A reinforced-tape forming device comprising a supporting and dividing plate, means for feeding web material onto said plate with a part of said web material extending from a side of said plate, means for holding said web material in contact with said plate and for advancing the material therealong, means for feeding reinforcing material between said plate and web material, and a plow for folding said extending part of said web material under said plate as the web material is advanced therealong.

in contact with said plate and for advancing the material therealong, means for feeding reinforcingmaterial between said plate and web material, a plow for folding said extending part of the web material under said plate as the web material is advanced therealong, and pressure applying means for creasing the web material along the fold to secure the folded web material and reinforcing material together to form a reinforced tape.

3. A reinforced-tape forming device comprising a supporting and dividing plate, means for feeding web material onto said plate with a part of said web material extending from a side of said plate, belt means for holding said material in contact with said plate and for advancing the material therealong, means for feeding strips of reinforcing material between said plate and web material, a plow for folding said extending part of the web material under said plate as the web material is advanced therealong, and pressure applying means for receiving said web and reinforcing materials and creasing the web material along the fold to form a reinforced tape.

4. A reinforced tape forming device comprising a dividing member, means for feeding web material into contact with said member with a part of said web material extending from a side of said member, means for holding said web material in contact with said member and for advancing the material therealong, means for feeding reinforcing material into contact with said member, and means for folding said extending part of said web material around said member as the web material is advanced therealong.

5. A reinforced tape forming device comprising a dividing plate, means for feeding web material into contact with said plate with a part of said Web material extending from a side of said plate,

means for holding said web material in contact with said plate and for advancing the material therealong, means for feeding reinforcingmaterial between said plate and web material, means for folding said extending part of said web material around said plate as the web material is advanced therealong, and pressure applying means for creasing the web material along the fold to secure the folded web material and reinforcing material together and to form a reinforced tape.

6. The method of forming a tape from a loosely felted fibrous web material and a reinforcing material, comprising feeding said web material onto a dividing member with a part of said web material extending from a side thereof, advancing the web material, feeding reinforcing material to a surface of said web material, folding the extending part of said web material in lapping relationship to said dividing member and web material thereon, removing said web material from said dividing member and pressing the web material along the fold to secure the lapped portions of said web material with the reinforcing material embraced therebetween.

7. The method of forming a tape from a loosely felted fibrous web material and a reinforcing material, comprising advancing and supporting the web material over approximately one half its width to form a supported portion and an inforcing material to a surface of said web material and folding the unsupported portion of said web material into lapping relationship to the supported portion thereof and in such a manner that the reinforcing material lies between said lapping portions, and pressing the web material along the fold.

GEORGE ELLWOOD HOUGHTON.

t5 unsupported extending portion, feeding the re- 

